- The middle half earn between $23.47 and $38.14 an hour.
- Only 4 states pay painters more at the median.
- New York pays more than all 5 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 13,040 painters on payrolls in New York.
- At the state median wage, a painting business needs to bill about $120.89 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Painter pay in New York, bottom to top
These are BLS figures for painters in construction and maintenance: house painters, commercial painters and maintenance crews. Artists and auto painters are counted elsewhere.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.95 | $45,660 | $18.00 |
| 25th percentile | $23.47 | $48,820 | $21.46 |
| Median | $28.64 | $59,570 | $23.75 |
| 75th percentile | $38.14 | $79,320 | $29.65 |
| 90th percentile | $53.63 | $111,550 | $37.89 |
| Average (mean) | $32.72 | $68,070 | $26.64 |
Pay spreads out a lot in New York. The bottom tenth earn $21.95 an hour or less while the top tenth earn $53.63 or more, a gap of 2.4 times against 2.1 nationally. Where a painter sits on that range matters as much as the state.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $21.95 against $18.00 at the bottom tenth, and $53.63 against $37.89 at the top.
The average wage, $32.72, sits 14% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical painter makes.
How New York compares with other states
Over a full year, the New York median of $59,570 is $10,170 more than the national $49,400.
In the state ranking, New York sits 5th, between Washington ($28.68) and the District of Columbia ($28.61). The range runs from $19.28 in Arkansas to $32.80 in Hawaii.
New York pays painters more than any of its neighboring states, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in New York. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against New York |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $28.64 | $59,570 | |
| Connecticut | $28.12 | $58,480 | −$0.52 an hour |
| Massachusetts | $27.65 | $57,510 | −$0.99 an hour |
| New Jersey | $28.49 | $59,250 | −$0.15 an hour |
| Pennsylvania | $25.06 | $52,120 | −$3.58 an hour |
| Vermont | $25.54 | $53,120 | −$3.10 an hour |
How many painters work in New York
BLS estimates 13,040 painters on payrolls in New York, 5.8% of the 225,190 nationwide. Only 3 states have more.
That is 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in New York, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a painting business in New York should charge
Higher wages in New York go straight into the price. Take a painting business in New York paying the state median of $28.64 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $28.64 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $64,128 |
| Break-even rate | ($64,128 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $102.75 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $102.75 ÷ 0.85 | $120.89 |
That is $120.89 per billable hour, 4.2 times the wage, and $8.59 more than the $112.30 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $38.14 in New York, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $137.57.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $23.47, the rate only drops to $111.81.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a painter in New York
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how painting companies run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2141, painters, construction and maintenance, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: painter salary by state.